Lines 2107-2143

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Beowulf Lines 2107-2143 (Hyun Woo Kim).mp3

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At times some hero made the timbered harp

Sometimes a man would pick up the harp

tremble with sweetness, or related true

to play a magnificant melody, or recollect events

and tragic happenings; at times the king

which had tragically gone by; sometimes the king himself

gave the proper turn to some fantastic tale,

would start speaking of a fascinating tale,

or a battle-scarred veteran, bowed with age,

or an old veteran

would begin to remember the martial deeds

would remember his life as a young warrior

of his youth and prime and be overcome

and become overwhelmed with sadness

as the past welled up in his wintry heart.

as his youthful past starkly contrasted from his now shriveled self.

"We were happy there the whole day long

"We were happy throughout the entire day

and enjoyed our time until another night

and enjoyed ourselves until night

descended upon us. Then suddenly

arrived again. Then from nowhere

the vehement mother avenged her son

the enraged mother came for revenge

and wreaked destruction. Death had robbed her,

bringing about utter destruction. Death had taken Grendel from her,

Geats had slain Grendel, so his ghastly dam

as the Geats had killed him, so the terrifying mother

struck back and with bare-faced defiance

invaded Heorot outright

laid a man low. Thus life departed

and subsequently killed a man.

from the sage Aeschere, an elder wise in council.

Thus, did Aeschere, the wise elder, die.

But afterwards, on the morning following,

But on the following morning,

the Danes could not burn the dead body

the Danes were not able to burn the remains

nor lay the remains of the man they loved

of Aeschere, the man loved by all,

on his funeral pyre. She had fled with the corpse

on his funeral pyre, for the she-monster had taken off with the dead sage

and taken refuge beneath torrents on the mountain.

and hid beneath the mountain rivers.

It was a hard blow for Hrothgar to bear,

Grief hit Hrothgor

harder than any he had undergone before.

like never before.

And so the heartsore king beseeched me

Heartbroken, the king begged me --

in your royal name to take my chances

for I was your mighty kinsmen -- to take the risk

underwater, to win glory

in slaying the she-beast in her nest

and prove my worth. He promised me rewards.

and manifest my worthiness. The king vowed to give me gifts.

Hence, as is well known, I went to my encounter

On that account, as most know the story from here on, I came to face

with the terror-monger at the bottom of the tarn.

the mother at the bed of the lake.

For a while it was hand-to-hand between us,

For some time, it was a stalemate,

then blood went curling along the currents

then blood splashed into the water

and I beheaded Grendel's mother in the hall

as I beheaded the she-monster

with a mighty sword. I barely managed

with an unyielding sword. I hardly escaped

to escape with my life; my time had not yet come.

alive, but it was still too early for death to take my life.

But Halfdane's heir, the shelter of those earls, (?)

Nontheless, the Halfdanes, along with lord Hrothgor,

again endowed me with gifts in abundance.

once more provided me with bountiful gifts.

BP HyunWoo

Lines 2107-2143

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